alfred tennyson-第29节

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nature。　　〃He　is　the　greatest…brained　poet　in　England；〃　Tennyson　said；
on　a　later　occasion。　　〃Violets　fade；　he　has　given　me　a　crown　of
gold。〃

Before　writing　Harold　（1876）　the　poet　〃studied　many　recent　plays；〃
and　re…read　AEschylus　and　Sophocles。　　For　history　he　went　to　the
Bayeux　tapestry；　the　Roman　de　Rou；　Lord　Lytton；　and　Freeman。
Students　of　a　recent　controversy　will　observe　that；　following
Freeman；　he　retains　the　famous　palisade；　so　grievously　battered　by
the　axe…strokes　of　Mr　Horace　Round。　　Harold　is　a　piece　more
compressed；　and　much　more　in　accordance　with　the　traditions　of　the
drama；　than　Queen　Mary。　　The　topic　is　tragic　indeed：　　the　sorrow
being　that　of　a　great　man；　a　great　king；　the　bulwark　of　a　people　that
fell　with　his　fall。　　Moreover；　as　the　topic　is　treated；　the　play　is
rich　in　the　irony　usually　associated　with　the　name　of　Sophocles。
Victory　comes　before　a　fall。　　Harold；　like　Antigone；　is　torn　between
two　dutieshis　oath　and　the　claims　of　his　country。　　His　ruin　comes
from　what　Aristotle　would　call　his　＇Greek　text　which　cannot　be
reproduced＇；　his　fault　in　swearing　the　oath　to　William。　　The　hero
himself；　recking　little；　after　a　superstitious　moment；　of　the
concealed　relics　over　which　he　swore；　deems　his　offence　to　lie　in
swearing　a　vow　which　he　never　meant　to　keep。　　The　persuasions　which
urge　him　to　this　course　are　admirably　presented：　　England；　Edith；　his
brother's　freedom；　were　at　stake。　　Casuistry；　or　even　law；　would　have
absolved　him　easily；　an　oath　taken　under　duresse　is　of　no　avail。　　But
Harold's　〃honour　rooted　in　dishonour　stood；〃　and　he　cannot　so　readily
absolve　himself。　　Bruce　and　the　bishops　who　stood　by　Bruce　had　no
such　scruples：　　they　perjured　themselves　often；　on　the　most　sacred
relics；　especially　the　bishops。　　But　Harold　rises　above　the　mediaeval
and　magical　conception　of　the　oath；　and　goes　to　his　doom　conscious　of
a　stain　on　his　honour；　of　which　only　a　deeper　stain；　that　of
falseness　to　his　country；　could　make　him　clean。　　This　is　a　truly
tragic　stroke　of　destiny。　　The　hero's　character　is　admirably　noble；
patient；　and　simple。　　The　Confessor　also　is　as　true　in　art　as　to
history；　and　his　vision　of　the　fall　and　rise　of　England　is　a　noble
passage。　　In　Aldwyth　we　have　something　of　Vivien；　with　a　grain　of
conscience；　and　the　part　of　Edith　Swan's…neck　has　a　restrained　and
classic　pathos　in　contrast　with　the　melancholy　of　Wulfnoth。　　The
piece；　as　the　poet　said；　is　a　〃tragedy　of　doom；〃　of　deepening　and
darkening　omens；　as　in　the　Odyssey　and　Njal's　Saga。　　The　battle
scene；　with　the　choruses　of　the　monks；　makes　a　noble　close。

FitzGerald　remained　loyal；　but　it　was　to　〃a　fairy　Prince　who　came
from　other　skies　than　these　rainy　ones；〃　and　〃the　wretched　critics；〃
as　G。　H。　Lewes　called　them；　seem　to　have　been　unfriendly。　　In　fact
（besides　the　innate　wretchedness　of　all　critics）；　they　grudged　the
time　and　labour　given　to　the　drama；　in　an　undramatic　age。　　Harold　had
not　what　FitzGerald　called　〃the　old　champagne　flavour〃　of　the　vintage
of　1842。

Becket　was　begun　in　1876；　printed　in　1879；　and　published　in　1884。
Before　that　date；　in　1880；　Tennyson　produced　one　of　the　volumes　of
poetry　which　was　more　welcome　than　a　play　to　most　of　his　admirers。
The　intervening　years　passed　in　the　Isle　of　Wight；　at　Aldworth；　in
town；　and　in　summer　tours；　were　of　no　marked　biographical　interest。
The　poet　was　close　on　three　score　and　tenhe　reached　that　limit　in
1879。　　The　days　darkened　around　him；　as　darken　they　must：　　in　the
spring　of　1879　he　lost　his　favourite　brother；　himself　a　poet　of
original　genius；　Charles　Tennyson　Turner。　　In　May　of　the　same　year　he
published　The　Lover's　Tale；　which　has　been　treated　here　among　his
earliest　works。　　His　hours；　and　（to　some　extent）　his　meals；　were
regulated　by　Sir　Andrew　Clark。　　He　planted　trees；　walked；　read；
loitered　in　his　garden；　and　kept　up　his　old　friendships；　while　he
made　that　of　the　great　Gordon。　　Compliments　passed　between　him　and
Victor　Hugo；　who　had　entertained　Lionel　Tennyson　in　Paris；　and　wrote：
〃Je　lis　avec　emotion　vos　vers　superbes；　c'est　un　reflet　de　gloire　que
vous　m'envoyez。〃　　Mr　Matthew　Arnold's　compliment　was　very　like　Mr
Arnold's　humour：　　〃Your　father　has　been　our　most　popular　poet　for
over　forty　years；　and　I　am　of　opinion　that　he　fully　deserves　his
reputation〃：　　such　was　〃Mat's　sublime　waggery。〃　　Tennyson　heaped
coals　of　fire　on　the　other　poet；　bidding　him；　as　he　liked　to　be
bidden；　to　write　more　poetry；　not　〃prose　things。〃　　Tennyson　lived
much　in　the　society　of　Browning　and　George　Eliot；　and　made　the
acquaintance　of　Renan。　　In　December　1879　Mr　and　Mrs　Kendal　produced
The　Falcon；　which　ran　for　sixty…seven　nights；　it　is　〃an　exquisite
little　poem　in　action；〃　as　Fanny　Kemble　said。　　During　a　Continental
tour　Tennyson　visited　Catullus's　Sirmio：　　〃here　he　made　his　Frater
Ave　atque　Vale；〃　and　the　poet　composed　his　beautiful　salutation　to
the


〃Tenderest　of　Roman　poets　nineteen　hundred　years　ago。〃


In　1880　Ballads　and　other　Poems　proved　that；　like　Titian；　the　great
poet　was　not　to　be　defeated　by　the　years。　　The　First　Quarrel　was　in
his　most　popular　English　style。　　Rizpah　deserved　and　received　the
splendid　panegyric　of　Mr　Swinburne。　　The　Revenge　is　probably　the
finest　of　the　patriotic　pieces；　and　keeps　green　the　memory　of　an
exploit　the　most　marvellous　in　the　annals　of　English　seamen。　　The
Village　Wife　is　a　pendant　worthy　of　The　Northern　Farmer。　　The　poem　In
the　Children's　Hospital　caused　some　irritation　at　the　moment；　but
there　was　only　one　opinion　as　to　the　Defence　of　Lucknow　and　the
beautiful　re…telling　of　the　Celtic　Voyage　of　Maeldune。　　The　fragment
of　Homeric　translation　was　equally　fortunate　in　choice　of　subject　and
in　rendering。

In　the　end　of　1880　the　poet　finished　The　Cup；　which　had　been　worked
on　occasionally　since　he　completed　The　Falcon　in　1880。　　The　piece　was
read　by　the　author　to　Sir　Henry　Irving　and　his　company；　and　it　was
found　that　the　manuscript　copy　needed　few　alterations　to　fit　it　for
the　stage。　　The　scenery　and　the　acting　of　the　protagonists　are　not
easily　to　be　forgotten。　　The　play　ran　for　a　hundred　and　thirty
nights。　　Sir　Henry　Irving　had　thought　that　Becket　（then　unpublished）
would　prove　too　expensive；　and　could　only　be　a　succes　d'estime。
Tennyson　had　found　out　that　〃the　worst　of　writing　for　the　stage　is；
you　must　keep　some　actor　always　in　your　mind。〃　　To　this　necessity
authors　like　Moliere　and　Shakespeare　were；　of　course；　resigned　and
familiar；　they　knew　exactly　how　to　deal　with　all　their　means。　　But
this　part　of　the　business　of　play…writing　must　always　be　a　cross　to
the　poet　who　is　not　at　one　with　the　world　of　the　stage。

In　The　Cup　Miss　Ellen　Terry　made　the　strongest　impression；　her　part
being　noble　and　sympathetic；　while　Sir　Henry　Irving　had　the
ungrateful　part　of　the　villain。　　To　be　sure；　he　was　a　villain　of　much
complexity；　and　Tennyson　thought　that　his　subtle　blend　of　Roman
refinement　and　intellectuality；　and　barbarian；　self…satisfied
sensuality；　was　not　〃hit　off。〃　　Synorix　is；　in　fact；　half…Greek；
half…Celt；　with　a　Roman　education；　and　the　〃blend〃　is　rather　too
remote　for　successful　representation。　　The　traditional　villain；　from
Iago　downwards；　is　not　apt　to　utter　such　poetry　as　this：…


〃O　Thou；　that　dost　inspire　the　germ　with　life；
The　child；　a　thread　within　the　house　of　birth；
And　give　him　limbs；　then　air；　and　send　him　forth
The　glory　of　his　fatherThou　whose　breath
Is　balmy　wind　to　robe　our　bills　with　grass；
And　kindle　all　our　vales　with　myrtle…blossom；
And　roll　the　golden　oceans　of　our　grain；
And　sway　the　long　grape…bunches　of　our　vines；
And　fill　all　hearts　with　fatness　and　the　lust
Of　plentymake　me　happy　in　my　marriage！〃


The　year　1881　brought　the　death　of　another　of　the　old　Cambridge
friends；　James　Spedding；　the　biographer　of　Bacon；　and　Carlyle　also
died；　a　true　friend；　if　rather　intermittent　in　his　appreciation　of
poetry。　　The　real　Carlyle　did　appreciate　it；　but　the　Carlyle　of
attitude　was　too　much　of　the　iron　Covenanter　to　express　what　he　felt。
The　poem　Despair　irritated　the　earnest　and　serious　readers　of　〃know…
nothing　books。〃　　The　poem　expressed；　dramatically；　a　mood　like
another；　a　human　mood　not　so　very　uncommon。　　A　man　ruined　in　this
world's　happiness　curses　the　faith　of　his　youth；　and　the　unfaith　of
his　reading　and　reflection；　and　tries　to　drown　himself。　　This　is　one
conclusion　of　the　practical　syllogism；　and　it　is　a　free　country。
However；　there　were　freethinkers　who　did　not　think　that　Tennyson's
kind　of　thinking　ought　to　be　free。　　Other　earnest　persons　objected　to
〃First　drink　a　health；〃　in　the　re…fashioned　song　of　Hands　all　Round。
They　might　have　remembered　a　royal　health　drunk　in　water　an　hour
before　the　drinkers　swept　Mackay　down　the　Pass　of　Killiecrankie。　　The
poet　did　not　specify　the　fluid　in　which　the　toast　was　to　be　carried；
and　the　cup　might　be　that　which　〃cheers　but　not　inebriates。〃　　〃The
common　cup；〃　as　the　remonstrants　had　to　be　informed；　〃has　in　all　ages
been　the　sacred　symbol　of　unity。〃

The　Promise　of　May　was　produced　in　November　1882；　and　the　poet　was
once　more　so　unfortunate　as　to　vex　the　susceptibilities　of　advanced
thinkers。　　The　play　is　not　a　masterpiece；　and　yet　neither　the　galle